Hunting, Bandits and Laughing Fits
by Shadow-StrikeRaven
Summary: Long story short, they go hunting, bandits attack, magic reveal, angst, laughing fits, evil sorcerers, more reveals, bromance, whump, bamf and they all live happily ever after... ish. (A short reveal fic I had lying around, and uploaded as per requests. Unrelated to my HTC series) No set pairings, Rating for small use of strong language.
1. Chapter 1

**Yeah, I know. nother reveal. But I have so many drabbles, one-offs and three-four chapter ones lying around, I figure I may as well get them uploaded :D**  
**Please review and let me know what you think!**

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"Merlin! Get your lazy ass over here! We should have left half an hour ago…"  
Merlin was grumbling as he walked over, and Arthur could swear he heard Clot-pole and prat in there somewhere. Gwaine and Elyan were laughing quietly, and Percival was grinning. Even Leon was smiling, and he was almost as impatient as the king was.  
True, they had been waiting to leave for the hunting trip for some time now, but Merlin could hardly be blamed for the last minute chores Arthur had him doing.  
Needless to say, all of them were pleased to finally be heading out.

Gwaine was busy telling Elyan about how the Tavern must be doing something different when they made the Ale, when another banter-thon broke out between the king and his manservant.  
"Of course Sire. I do apologise for being ten minutes late, I mean, it's no problem at all that I got about two hours sleep last night..."  
"You slept for at least three hours earlier in the day!"  
"Not my fault your desk was so bloody comfortable… And you didn't need to chuck that damn goblet at my head again. Seriously, I swear your mind is not capable of coming up with anything new…"  
"Oh really? Don't think I won't throw you in the stocks…"  
"Okay, three things. One, that is an idle, _pretty much_ empty, threat that you have used more times than I can count… Two, you'd miss me after about ten minutes and drag me off to do some other god-awful task. And three, you really are a prat."  
"Oh, now look who can't come up with anything new!"  
"Oh really? I gave you clot-pole, dollop-head, cabbage-head…"  
"And nothing new for the last year… Really getting lax aren't you Merlin?"  
"Ass…"  
"Yep, heard it…"  
"Dear God! You are such a… a…"  
Gwaine sniggered, elbowing Elyan, who, like all of the others, were listening in, grinning like idiots.  
"Unless I'm much mistaken, we're about to hear something new…" He said, and Elyan nodded, actually looking forward to it.

"I'm such a what?" Arthur continued, oblivious to the attention they were receiving. Merlin literally growled, glaring as his mind racing to come up with some kind of insult.  
"Well, if your royal ass-ship will let me think of something…"  
A chorus of _'Oooh's_ went through the knights, but both servant and king ignored them.  
"Aw, come on Merlin. Being a little slow today aren't we?"  
"Oh, I'm the slow one? Who took half an hour to figure out how to put his chainmail on…?" Merlin snorted, and a name came to him. "Trust me, if you were any slower witted, even the cute little bunnies could escape you… you Stew Brain..."  
The group were silent for a moment, and Gwaine burst out laughing. Hiccupping, he glanced at the glaring expression on his best friends face and gulped down another laugh.  
"Really Merlin? Why Stew Brain?"  
Merlin shrugged,  
"Slow to warm up, then rises to the boil very easily. Stays hot for a long time, then goes all weird when it cools… Also full of mashed up stuff, and not all of its good…"  
The knights thought this through, then shared smirks. Merlin was right. Again.  
"Plus I was short on time…" Merlin grumbled under his breath, still loud enough for them all to hear.  
Arthur was simply glaring at the scrawny idiot, seriously considering the stocks, when, said, scrawny idiot grinned at him, obviously challenging him. So Arthur did the last thing anyone expected.  
"So… Now I'm a stew. Okay then."  
He urged his horse into a faster trot, leaving Merlin to share a bemused look with the others before they all sped up their own steeds to catch up with him.

Half an hour later, Arthur called a halt, and recommended that they split into pairs to cover more ground.  
Everyone agreed, and a hasty game of '_I'm not with Gwaine'_ broke out between Leon, Elyan and Percival. Elyan and Percival jumped down from their horse a min_ute_ second before Leon, and fist-bumped. Leon's face fell, and Arthur, no stranger to the game, had to pity him as he turned to sigh at the evil glare on Gwaine's face. Leon was not going to enjoy this…  
They all knew how it went. One pair took the river to the camp clearing. Another took the clearing to the small stream, and Arthur and Merlin took the stream to the other river.  
Mainly because Arthur loved to try and shove Merlin in.  
Merlin and Leon shared a look before they all split up, each knowing that this was not going to be a fun day.  
What Merlin couldn't know was that this would be the most eventful day of his life… Or, close to it.  
_

Three hours later, it was nearing noon, and Arthur had Merlin lugging around a brace of rabbits and had left a young buck's corpse lying by the horses. After leaving the rabbits, Arthur decided that there was time for one more foray before they joined the others.  
Of course, Merlin's protests went unanswered, aside from a few necessary insults. None-the-less, the young man still kept on Arthur's tail.  
Though he would never admit it, Arthur was impressed by how quiet his servant had become. However much he might say otherwise, he could barely make out the young man's light steps behind his own. It was for that reason that he didn't notice that the self-same man had stopped walking for a few seconds, and turned back, raising an eyebrow.  
Before he could say anything however, he caught sight of Merlins raised hand, and shut up.  
Another thing he would never admit was his, and his men's, trust in Merlin's instincts. If the young man thought something was wrong, then something was wrong. Though he had no idea _how_ he knew sometimes…  
Merlin gestured towards the trees behind Arthur, and, sure enough, a group of scruffy, armed men burst onto the path. Arthur sighed.  
Why couldn't a hunting trip ever go as planned.

A few minutes later, and Arthur pulled his sword out from the abdomen of the last of his attackers, sending the limp body to the floor. Spinning, suddenly worried for Merlin, he was shocked to see his friend with a sword in his hand, courtesy no doubt of one of the bandits, and three bodies around him.  
At Arthurs shocked look, Merlin shrugged, as if to say '_I'm Not Completely Useless'_ before his eyes twitched to something outside Arthur's field of vision. Turning, he saw a dagger spinning towards him. Too fast for him to duck… He flinched, but after a few seconds passed and he felt nothing, he opened his eyes to see the dagger floating in front of him. No sooner than he had opened his eyes, the dagger tumbled to the floor, and Arthur spun to Merlin, wondering what the hell was going on.  
His confusion quickly changed to shock.  
The colour may be fading rapidly, but it was there. Merlin's normally bright blue eyes were gold. Magic…  
Merlin was a…  
Arthur opened his mouth, but no sound came out. He tried again, and managed a few words,  
"Y-you're a... sorcerer…"  
The shock morphed into disbelief.  
Disbelief into anger.  
And anger into betrayal.  
That final look made Merlin go cold, just before another group of bandits broke from the trees. Merlin had frozen at the look in the kings eyes, but as their attackers swarmed forward and Arthur made no move to defend himself, he knew he had to act.  
Didn't mean it hurt any less…

Arthur couldn't believe it… But the evidence was there. In the form of the blasts of light and the figures that were being thrown back. Merlin had magic… had lied to him…  
The man he had learned to trust was a sorcerer…  
A bandit flew past him and Arthur re-evaluated his last opinion.  
Make that 'a _very powerful'_ sorcerer…  
Eventually, the remaining attackers fled to the safety of the trees and Arthur saw Merlin… no, the sorcerer, turn and face him, meeting his eyes. The eyes that met his contained a flurry of emotions. Pain… Desperation… Sorrow… and a silent plea for him to understand…  
Arthur tore his eyes away, a torrent of emotions filling him that he couldn't separate. Only one thing was clear to him, and he found himself acting on it. Magic was evil… sorcery was evil… Sorcerers were evil…  
He took a step towards Merlin, only to see the man fall to his knees, obviously exhausted. He waited a few seconds, until it became obvious that he wouldn't be getting to his feet any time soon and he walked over to him.

Merlin had nothing to say, the look of betrayal in Arthur's eyes holding him still. Until he realised that he hadn't escaped the scuffle unharmed. He took his hand away from his side, only faintly registering the blood, before exhaustion hit him and he fell to his knees. He had just managed to get his breathing back to normal when he looked up to see a sword in his face.  
Merlin lurched backwards, falling into the log behind him, his back crashing into it with a resounding crack. The pain was forgotten in an instant as Merlin got his voice back again.  
"Arthur…"  
"You're a sorcerer…" The kings voice was cold, and Merlin barely hid a flinch at the anger and betrayal that coursed through it.  
"Y-yes… But I've only ever used my magic to protect you… to protect Camelot…"  
"Liar! Sorcery is… Evil! To study-"  
"I never studied! I was born with it… I could move objects with my mind before I could walk… I never had a choice!"  
Arthur took a small step backwards at this, before shaking his head,  
"That's impossible…"  
"I wish…" A small undercurrent of his odd humour broke through at the words, but then his voice fell back to the low, apologetic tone.  
"Arthur… I had no choice… I never had a choice… I was born into magic as you were born into royalty…" Merlin took a small intake of breath as he realised that this might be the only chance he had to convince him. "I was using magic before I could talk, and ever since I came to Camelot, I've been using it to protect you… I would never use magic against you or Camelot… I'd rather die than harm any of you…"  
"And you expect me to believe that?" Arthur had no idea what the emotion was that was building up inside him, but he knew for now that he was relying on his anger.  
"How can I believe anything you say? You've lied to me for years… I trusted you!"  
And there was the source of the anger… He had trusted Merlin. Now he had had that trust thrown back into his face…

Merlin considered trying to get to his feet, but there were several things stopping him. One, his side was still bleeding profusely. Two, he still had a sword pointed at him, though it had been lowered considerably and was now not directly pointed in his face. Three, he wasn't sure how Arthur would react, having no idea what he was feeling. Merlin resorted to the one thing he knew he was capable of. And the one thing that would mean almost nothing to the blonde haired young man in front of him.  
"Arthur… I-I'm sorry…"  
Merlin's voice came out as a whisper, but one that cut Arthur to the core. The sorcerer's eyes blazed with sincerity, and a desperation warring with defeat. He found himself speaking out loud, his thoughts making themselves heard.  
"You're a sorcerer… You used sorcery in Camelot… That's Treason. The punishment for treason is death…"  
As Arthur said the last word, he found himself rebelling against it. Horrified at the thought of letting Merlin die. Not least because the young man had just saved his life… And it was likely not the only time, if all of the puzzle pieces putting themselves together in his mind were right.  
But he was a sorcerer…

Merlin felt Arthur's eyes on him and looked up, meeting the Kings eyes. The betrayal and anger were still evident in them but also something else. Something he couldn't identify. He found himself speaking again, his voice quiet, but full of the emotional turmoil he was feeling.  
"Arthur… You might not believe me and you have no reason to, I guess… But I swear to you, I have never, nor will I ever, use magic against you or Camelot. I'd rather die than hurt any of you. Even if you don't believe _anything_ else I say, you have to believe that…"  
The first two words that came from the Kings mouth had Merlin's spirits rising, if only a little.  
"I do… From what I can figure, you very nearly _have_ died a few times…"  
Merlin grinned slightly, a ghost of his old humour back.  
"More than a few…"

Arthur shook his head, pieces falling into place, and knowing he would have to hear everything.  
One thing he knew, for sure, was that the young man in front of him didn't have an evil bone in his body… He was the same person had always known. Albeit being a bit… okay, a _lot_ more powerful than Arthur could ever have imagined.  
He was… Merlin. The same goofy, moronic, stubborn, disrespectful, clumsy, loyal- to the point of idiotic- Merlin that he had always been… He wasn't evil. The young man in front of him had had ample opportunity, and obviously had the power and ability, to harm him or destroy Camelot, and he hadn't.  
Arthur shook his head slightly, knowing he was going to be seriously re-evaluating the young man in front of him an awful lot over the next few days…  
He took a few steps towards Merlin, but stopped when the young man flinched slightly, eyes flitting fearfully to Arthur's right hand side.  
That's when Arthur realised he still had his sword drawn. Merlin didn't really- couldn't really think he was going to…?  
Could he…?  
Sheathing his sword, he noticed a small, relieved sigh escape from the young man, despite his obvious attempts to smother it, and knew he was going to have to straighten this out.  
"Merlin… You know I'm not going to arrest you right?"  
The sorcerer's tense shoulders didn't loosen, and Arthur sighed. Sorcerer maybe, but still an idiot.  
"And I'm not going to banish you… Or… Gods Merlin… do I really have to say it…? In Camelot's name, you're an idiot."  
Merlin's muscles seemed to relax, and he gave Arthur a small, timid smile.  
"You mean… You don't hate me?"  
"Hate you? No… I just… It's just a bit of a _surprise_…" Arthur snorted slightly, knowing that it was probably the understatement of the decade, before continuing, "And you lied to me. For nearly six years."  
"I'm sorry…" Merlin's voice was barely a whisper, but Arthur heard it none-the-less, and shook his head. Had he honestly thought that the man in front of him was _evil_? Arthur raised an eyebrow as he responded.  
"For what? Saving my life?"  
"I… I just…"  
"I know why you didn't tell me… But… You know I would never have… Gods Merlin, how could you think I would…"  
"Well… w-with your father, I didn't want to put you in a place where you had to- to choose. Between me and him… And after he died, you were always saying how evil magic is…"  
Merlin shrugged a little, sighing before he continued.  
"You have no idea how hard it is to listen to your best friend constantly calling you evil and untrustworthy… It just… I guess I was just too afraid to tell you. And I was used to keeping it secret. I guess it just seemed easier to keep hiding it."  
Arthur was silent for several minutes after that, letting his thoughts straighten out. He eventually came to the conclusion that he was looking at one of the most loyal, self-sacrificing, ridiculous people he had ever met... even if he was the worst manservant in the history of forever…  
Arthur snorted at this, knowing he was fooling himself.  
Merlin was his friend- his best friend if he was totally honest- and had been for a long time. The question was, could that still be the case now?  
Merlin had looked up at the snort, and looked confused, though his eyes were returning to their usual chirpy, energetic blue, if a bit cautiously.  
Arthur simply sighed and head over, slumping down next to him.

Merlin stared, bemused, as Arthur slumped to a sitting position next to him, back against the log.  
Now that he was sure Arthur wasn't afraid of him, and that he wasn't in imminent danger of being run-through with a sword, his muscles had relaxed, as had his heart-rate.  
He also became aware that his side was still bleeding, just as Arthur noticed the same thing.  
"Merlin! Why didn't you say you were hurt?!"  
Merlin raised an eyebrow, reflecting his disbelief at the question.  
"Really? Do I have to remind you, Sire, that in the last few minutes I have had a lot of other things on my mind…"

Arthur thought that over for all of two seconds, before he laughed.  
"Right…"  
Merlin felt himself grinning, then noticed that Arthur had a huge gash on his leg and the grin faded into a frown.  
"It's not like I'm the only one that's hurt…"  
Arthur looked down at his arm, eyes widening slightly.  
"I hadn't noticed…"  
Merlin felt a reckless impulse take over him, and decided to test his luck. Reaching over, he placed his hand just above the cut and muttered a few words in the old tongue. Immediately, the wound started healing itself, and within seconds, it had faded to a light scar.  
Merlin looked up at the king, expression slightly worried as to the reaction that his actions would receive. To his shock, Arthur was smiling, though he looked slightly unnerved.  
"…That will come in handy in future… You're turn."  
He gestured to Merlin's own wound, and Merlin gave a grin before repeating the process. Arthur raised an eyebrow at the ease with which he did it.  
"How many times have you done that…?"  
"That particular spell? Only a few times… Healing you? I have honestly lost count…"  
"Ah… I suppose I should thank you for that…"  
"You? Saying thank you? You didn't hit your head did you…?"  
"Merlin…"  
"Shut up…?"  
"Idiot."

After that, they sat in silence for a few moments before Arthur spoke up again,  
"So… You were born with magic…? Just how powerful are you?  
Merlin reddened slightly at this, and looked at his boots,  
"Its… hard to explain… Can't we just say _'very'_ and leave it at that?"  
Arthur blinked a few times, but let it slide, moving on to his next question.  
"Okay… Then how many times have you saved me and Camelot?"  
"I…" Merlin opened and closed his mouth, panicking slightly as something else jumped to mind.  
"It's a long story… And won't the knights be getting worried…?"  
Arthur cursed, jumping to his feet.  
"Damn it… We'd better get back…"  
He held out a hand to Merlin, who hesitated slightly, if only for a fraction of a second, before he took it and felt himself pulled to his feet. His smile faded slightly.  
"Are you going to tell them…?"  
Arthur sighed, shrugging.  
"I don't really have much of a choice, do I…"  
It was a statement, not a question, and Merlin nodded, before his face split into a grin, leaving Arthur bemused.  
"What's so funny?"  
"Gwaine… He's going to have far too much fun with this…" Merlin's face turned serious again.  
"The others though… I don't know _how_ they are going to react…"  
"Don't worry about it… It'll be fine…"  
"Really?" Merlin looked sceptical. "You're my _best friend_ and you came _this_ close-" Merlin left a gap of about a centimetre between his thumb and his forefinger, "- to running me through with your sword…"  
Arthur immediately looked to the sword at his side and a look of horrified guilt came over his face.

Arthur was horrified with himself. Merlin was right… The strange burst of warmth he had felt at the words 'best friend' were overshadowed by the fact that he had come far too close to hurting him…  
"Merlin… I…"  
Arthur stumbled. What could he say? The guilt ramped up a notch as he saw a flicker of understanding, and guilt flash over Merlin's face. Now _he_ was feeling guilty?  
Gods… He was so…  
Arthur didn't get a chance to finish the thought as Merlin quickly spoke up.  
"I didn't mean it like that… I just… This morning, no-one but Gaius knew I had magic, and now…"  
A voice came from their right, faint.  
"Arthur! Merlin!"  
"That would be Gwaine." Merlin said, his voice slightly strained, "He's the only one I know who has a voice that loud… Obviously Leon had enough of him…"  
Merlin felt a hand grip his shoulder, and turned to see Arthur, looking guiltier than before, though he couldn't figure why.  
"Merlin… It'll be fine. I know it will. Trust me…?"  
He made it a question, and Merlin felt his tension drain away, before smiling faintly.  
"If you'll trust me…?"  
They were still for a few moments, before Arthur nodded, smiling.  
"Deal… Now we'd better get going…"

Merlin took a few steps after the blonde, but suddenly felt something blossoming in his chest. He felt himself fall to the floor, the same thing trembling inside him. Arthur turned back, dropping to his side, concerned, and Merlin exploded.  
His laughter echoed around them, sending Arthur tumbling back in shock.  
"What in the… Merlin?"  
It was a few moments before Merlin could stop laughing long enough to give a half coherent answer.  
"I'm… I'm sorry, but it just… It's so…" The laughter burst out again, and he clutched his ribs, his chest starting to ache slightly. His next words were clipped, and full of mirth.  
"You… I never thought that… well, that you would take it this well… After everything and…"  
Merlin couldn't continue and burst into another round of giggles.  
Arthur looked completely bemused, but at those words, he seemed to understand, though the slight panic at the state Merlin was in didn't diminish.  
None-the-less, there were several reasons why he didn't interfere as his manservant rolled around on the floor, laughing his head off.  
One, he hadn't seen Merlin looking this…free and truly happy in quite some time.  
Two, he understood why Merlin was acting like it. Relief was evident in the laughter, and Arthur had no idea how hard it must have been for the young man to live in Camelot over the past few years with the threat of execution hanging over his head every day. He deserved a few moments to let it out.  
Three, he was actually having a hard time not laughing at the sight of a grown man acting like a child.  
And four, he hoped that some of the others would run up and see him in this state.  
Merlin would never live it down.  
Speaking of others, Gwaine and Leon chose that moment to run in on the scene. Arthur burst out laughing at the bewildered expressions on their faces as they spotted Merlin, who, at Arthur's sudden laughter, looked up at the two men, saw the same thing, and burst into an even worse bout of giggling.  
A soon as he started laughing, Arthur found he couldn't stop, both at the sight of Merlin and the two knights, and at the ridiculousness of the situation.  
Here he was, the King of Camelot, and he was laughing at the sight of a powerful sorcerer, who, incidentally, happened to be his best friend, who was acting like a small child.  
Yep, ridiculous.

Eventually, they managed to calm down slightly, which, of course, was Percival and Elyan's cue for arriving.  
And off they went again.  
All in all, it took almost ten minutes for Arthur to get back to his normal self. Merlin took almost twenty.  
Eventually though, the raven haired young man managed to calm down enough to get to his feet and speak coherently, but he had no sooner started to tell Gwaine that there was nothing wrong, when he started hiccupping.  
Of course, Arthur started laughing again, though not as heavily, and the knights also began chuckling. It was strange how quickly the hiccups halted, or at least, it would have been if Arthur hadn't seen the tell-tale flicker of gold. Which he had only seen because he was looking for it.  
It was nearly an hour later that they eventually managed to start the trek back.  
After about ten minutes of idle chatting, Arthur withdrew from the conversation, and into his own thoughts. Which centred around the raven haired, moronic, idiotic, ridiculously immature, disrespectful, insubordinate, clumsy, gangly, quick witted, wise, loyal and powerful sorcerer he had as a manservant.

Over the next twenty minutes, Arthur figured out several things.  
One, Merlin was in no way evil.  
Two, Merlin was much braver than Arthur gave him credit for.  
Three, He was going to have to make some changes in Camelot.  
Four, He was going to have to make some change in the way he treated Merlin. Maybe.  
Five, He was best friends with the most loyal man he had ever known.  
Six, He was going to sit Merlin down and get him to tell him everything.  
Seven, He was going to _make sure_ that Merlin had told him _every_thing.  
Eight, He was going to have a hell of a week explaining this to the knights and the council.  
Nine, He was going to very much enjoy the looks on the council member faces as he told them.  
Ten, He was putting far too much thought into this, when he should be focusing on the fact that his best friend had magic. Something that was bothering him far less than he knew it could be.  
And Eleven. He should really stop thinking, because he was getting a headache.

He was just realising this when Merlin slowed down and drew level with him. The knights continued on, instinctively leaving it to Merlin, who looked at Arthur, concerned.  
"Arthur…? You've barely said a word since we set off…"  
"I'm just thinking…"  
"Well, we both know that's not good for you…"  
The grin was at odds with the blue eyes, which were filled with worry. But it was not, Arthur realised, for himself. Nope, the idiot was worried for _Arthur_. He shook his head at the sheer ridiculousness of it. Here Merlin was, having revealed something completely… impossible and dangerous, yet he was worrying about the man that ad nearly _killed_ him.  
Idiot.  
But he let it drop, resolving to lecture him on his sheer idiotic-ness later.  
"Yeah… I'm already getting a headache…"  
At that, Merlin's eye flitted ahead, noting that none of the others were looking, and turned to Arthur, a silent question in his eyes.  
Arthur raised an eyebrow, knowing that the question held more than just the obvious.  
Still, he didn't hesitate before shrugging, and nodding his consent.  
Merlin murmured a few words that Arthur couldn't make out, and his eyes flashed gold.  
But, unlike the first time, Arthur found that it wasn't disconcerting. More like it looked natural. Normal even.  
Immediately, Arthur felt the headache start to recede, and he grinned, silently thanking him.  
Merlin returned the grin, then it faltered slightly.  
"When are you going to let them know…?"  
Arthur didn't have to ask who he was referring to.  
"Well… First, I want to hear everything that you have done since you came to Camelot. Reckon you can tell me that all in one night…?"  
Merlin blinked a few times, before grinning ruefully.  
"Yes… Maybe…"  
"Maybe…?"  
"Possibly..."  
"Possibly- Merlin..."  
Merlin looked almost defensive.  
"It's a long story…"  
"… Right. Well, either way, I want to hear it. Tonight..."  
"Yes Sire…"  
The usual sarcasm that accompanied Merlin's use of titles was virtually undetectable, and Arthur raised an eyebrow slightly, but put his face back into neutral before Merlin could notice.  
So, Merlin was a sorcerer.  
Merlin. Was. A. Sorcerer.  
Arthur finally let that completely sink in, and he grinned, then snorted, then burst out laughing.  
No it was Merlin's turn to look worried, but it didn't last long. Within moments, he had joined in, leaving the knights to wonder, again, what they were missing out on.  
Neither realised it, but both Merlin and Arthur thought the exact same thing.  
Let them wonder. They'd know soon enough…

* * *

**So, next chapter...  
The knights find out on their way to deal with a magical threat in the outer villages, involving several sorcerers.  
Oh, and Merlin finally just snaps.  
**


	2. Chapter 2

**Wow, I was really in no way, shape or form expecting the amount of Faves and Follows Ive gotten for this story... But they are very much appreciated, none-the-less :D **  
**Of course, reviews are appreciated as well, so please let me know what you think!**  
**(Sorry I couldnt thnk you all individually, but I will definitely reply to all reviews :D)**

* * *

Merlin stifled a yawn as he finally stopped talking.  
It had been late evening when he and Arthur had finally sat down and Merlin had started telling him everything. Sure, there were a few things he was vague about, but Arthur had seemed willing enough to let that pass.  
It was now in the early hours of the morning, and Merlin was just answering the odd questions being fired at him. Speaking of odd questions…  
"So… Merlin? The first time you came to work for me, and had that uncanny improvement in putting armour on? You can't tell me that that came with magic…?"  
"Nope… I read up on it. Then decided it wasn't helping, so did the chores with magic and went and found Gwen…"  
"Wait… So you used magic to help with… polishing?"  
"I was tired…" Merlin sounded defensive. "And it was only the one time…"  
At Arthur's raised eyebrow, Merlin shrugged,  
"Okay, maybe it was nearer to the three or four… But not after the first few weeks."  
"Right… And I can't believe Gaius used the Tavern as an excuse for you all these years."  
Merlin's face fell at that, even as he was marvelling at Arthur's ability to flit from thought to thought,  
"Yeah… I hardly ever go to the Tavern. Unless I'm in the mood to win more of your money from you."  
"And do you use magic for that?"  
Merlin gave him a look of outrage, which, in Arthur's eyes, was really over-the-top.  
"Arthur! Cheating? It would never give me the satisfaction."  
He kept up his indignant expression for all of three seconds under Arthur's disbelieving gaze, before he cracked.  
"Okay, okay. So I cheated slightly."  
Arthur glared for a few seconds before he let it drop.  
"Fine. Can I meet the dragons?"  
Merlin couldn't help it. He burst out laughing at the childishly keen look on Arthur's face and the absurd twists in the conversation.  
"Yeah," he said, a few seconds later, hiccupping, "You can meet them."  
Arthur looked ridiculously gleeful for a moment before he yawned. That was when he seemed to truly realise how late, or rather, early it was.

He looked slightly guilty as he realised that Merlin was obviously exhausted, and got to his feet, stifling another yawn.  
"Right… Okay. I think we can continue this conversation in the morning. You obviously need to sleep."  
Merlin looked rather surprised for a moment, and spoke up.  
"Arthur? Are you feeling okay? I mean, you're actually giving a damn about whether I need sleep or not… Are you _sure_ you didn't hit your head earlier-"  
He stopped as a goblet came towards him, and threw up a small shield, causing the projectile to fall towards the floor. He caught it before it could hit, however, and put it back on the table, grinning at the look on Arthur's face as he realised that he would most likely never hit Merlin with a goblet again…  
Ah well, Merlin reasoned, at least he seemed okay about the whole magic thing…  
He nearly started laughing again there and then. This was all so surreal. Yesterday morning, he had woken up with a headache, and a list of chores to do, before a hunting trip, which was about as long as his arm, and here he was now, using magic in front of Arthur.  
Who was, not only okay with it, but seemed to be more than a little interested.  
Merlin got up to grab the trays and take them back to the kitchen, but Arthur spoke up.  
"Leave them. It's late, you can take them in the morning."  
"…Okay."  
Merlin was instantly suspicious. Arthur never acted nice…  
He was downright worried for the king at his next words.  
"Oh, and you can take the morning off if you like… I'll probably be sleeping late anyway…"

Arthur couldn't understand the bemused look on Merlin's face. Was it really that out of character for him to act nice?  
As he thought about it, he realise that yes, it was.  
Which was probably the reason why Merlin, as he said goodnight and walked out of the room, kept looking back, bemused. He nearly walked into the door, he was so engrossed in seeing what the hell was wrong with Arthur.  
He had just pulled the doors closed when Arthur realised that, whist he had been walking, he must have been using magic to stoke up the fire and sort everything out that he would normally have done by hand.  
He couldn't find it in him to complain about the excessive use of magic. After all, Merlin had been keeping it a secret for his whole life. He deserved to have a chance to revel a little in it.  
It was with this thought that he lazily went through his routine.  
The thoughts were cut short as his head hit the pillow, as he was asleep the moment he pulled the covers up.  
_

Merlin yawned and sat up. At first, he couldn't explain why he felt so relaxed, then it all hit him.  
Arthur knew about his magic.  
Arthur was okay with his magic.  
And he had been able to sleep in till… Merlin looked out the window, and yelped jumping to his feet.  
Yup, been able to sleep till _past_ noon.  
Arthur was going to kill him.  
Ten minutes later, Merlin was out the door, half focusing on wolfing down the hunk of bread Gaius had foisted on him, and half focusing on what excuses he could use.  
Hence the way he managed to completely forget to look where he was going and barrelled right into Gwaine.  
The knight laughed, grabbing a hold of Merlin to top him tumbling to the floor, and chuckled at the sheepish expression on his face.  
"Merlin! Shouldn't you be getting Arthur his lunch right about now…?"  
"I know! Not my fault I only just woke up."  
Gwaine gave a dramatic shudder, shoving Merlin in the direction of Arthur's chamber.  
"Better get a move on then. The later you are, the worse it will be…"  
"What if I just run away and never step foot in Camelot again? That way, I won't have to face the wrath of a starving Arthur…"  
Gwaine thought it through, before shaking his head.  
"Won't do… He wouldn't be able to stand a new servant. They are all bootlickers."  
Merlin nodded.  
"Yeah… He'd get bored."  
They shared a grin before Gwaine nudged him on,  
"Better get a move on…"  
Merlin took the hint and started running again, calling back over his shoulder.  
"Catch you later!"  
It was only as he slid to a gasping stop outside Arthur's chambers that he realised that he hadn't even thought of revealing himself to Gwaine.  
It was rather depressing to realise that hiding had come naturally to him…  
He let the thought drop as he shoved the door open, only to scowl.

His royal pratness was still in bed, snoring away. And here Merlin was, worrying that he had been late.  
The small voice telling him that not only was this a _very _bad idea, but that it wasn't actually Arthur's fault, was swept aside by the more mischievous, vengeance seeking side of his brain.  
He stepped inside, closing the doors and head over to the window, only stopping to grab the goblet from Arthur's bedside and place it, out of reach, on the desk.  
He waited a few seconds, before he used magic to make his voice louder inside Arthur's head.  
"Good afternoon, Sire!"  
The king flew upright, yelping, and, even better in Merlin's opinion, fell over the side of the bed, tangled in sheets.  
Merlin pulled the curtains open, sending sunlight directly onto Arthur's face, causing him to yelp again.  
Merlin took in the scene for a few seconds, then doubled over, laughing.  
Even as Arthur got himself untangled, glaring at Merlin the entire time, Merlin had collapsed into a nearby chair, tears of mirth streaming down his cheeks.  
It was a few minutes before he could calm down, but when he did, he was still chuckling.  
Arthur just stood there, scowling and glaring at him.  
Which, to Merlin, made the whole thing even funnier.  
Eventually, Arthur seemed to have had enough, and spoke up.  
"Merlin? I know that you're an idiot and all that, but I can still throw you in the stocks…"  
"You really think that would work?"  
Arthur considered, before he sighed.  
"No, probably not. But this was unnecessary, you immature, irritating moron."  
"Ah, look. The Pratdragon has come up with more insults. Good for you…"  
Arthur reflexively reached for a goblet, and, when his hand grasped air, Merlin picked it up from the desk where he had put it, staring at it in mock concentration, before turning to Arthur.  
"Is this what you're looking for, Sire?"  
"Merlin?"  
"Shut up?"  
"Got it in one. Oh, and you can get this mess sorted out too…"  
Merlin simply grinned, his eyes flashing gold, and Arthur watched, surprised, as everything flew back, neatly, into place.  
He also got hit in the face with a bundle of clothes, and he glared at Merlin. But the glare soon turned to a grin as he took in the, now as clean as ever, room, and the huge grin across his friends face.  
"You know, the convenience of all of this may become addictive…"  
Merlin rolled his eyes as he head for the door.  
"Wait till Gwaine starts asking about Unicorns. You'll soon get tired of it… I'll just fetch your lunch. Well, breakfast. Reckon you can dress yourself?"  
"Merlin!"  
"Shutting up."

When Merlin got back, twenty minutes later, it was to Arthur, fully dressed, sat at his desk, frowning over a notice.  
Merlin set the tray down, then peered over the king shoulder, reading the notice.

_Arthur,_  
_Just thought I'd let you know before the council foists it on you. The outer villages are being attacked by, according to reports, a few sorcerers. The village where most of the attacks have taken place is about a day's ride away._  
_They have called for aid, hence the councils need for a meeting. They intend to ask you to leave it to the rest of us, and remain in Camelot._  
_Leon._

Merlin frowned. Whilst it was no unusual for Leon to leave notices like this, the content of it was rather stranger than most.  
"Well? What are you going to do?"  
Arthur looked up, his expression in the form of his very well known '_You know full well what I'm going to do'_ face.  
"I'm going to inform the council that I intend to ride out. Can you spread the word amongst the knights? I want to be ready to ride out early this evening. We can cover some distance before setting up camp, then arrive at the village late tomorrow afternoon."  
"Of course. Who?"  
"Leon, Gwaine, Percival, Elyan, Bedivere, Erec, Owain and Tristan."  
Merlin frowned.  
"So few?"  
"Well, I intend to tell the about you, then sit back and relax as you deal with the problem so we can all head home…"  
"You cannot be serious…?"  
Merlin blinked, widely, shaking his head at the idea. Trust Arthur to come up with the most unsubtle way of doing something.  
Arthur nodded,  
"I'm completely serious. If I wait till we set up camp before I tell them, it'll give them a night to sleep on it…"  
"Or head back to Camelot and tell everyone you're crazy…" Merlin, said, under his breath.  
Arthur raised an eyebrow.  
"Crazy? Nope. I'm sure that the others will have no trouble with it. Gwaine will laugh about it, Percival will shrug it off, Leon and Elyan may take a bit longer, but they'll come around. Bedivere, Erec and Owain will follow me. The only one we may have trouble with is Tristan. He was a very outward supporter of my father's war against magic…"  
Merlin merely looked at him, blinked a few times, then shook his head.  
"Okay then. I'll spread the word."  
Now it was Arthur's turn to blink,  
"Just like that? No complaints?"  
"Nope… Just don't expect me to summon the dragons."  
With that, Merlin head out to find Leon…

Three hours later, and the small group was riding out of Camelot.  
They managed to make good time, and were well into the forest when night fell.  
Before they could do more than prepare a few fires to be it, however, Arthur ordered the men to gather together as he needed to tell them something.  
They were more than a little confused as Arthur and Merlin conversed in mutters for a few moments, and the King's manservant rolled his eyes before sitting down against a tree on the other side of the clearing, staring at the blonde, looking irritated.  
If they had been able to hear the conversation, it would have gone like this.  
_Merlin- "So, you still wanna tell them?"  
Arthur- "Don't really have a choice. It'll be fine…"  
Merlin- "For you maybe…"  
Arthur- "Merlin…"  
Merlin- "I know… I just… it's just coming as a bit of a shock all at once."  
Arthur- "I get that. I do, but they need to know."  
Merlin- "I know that… You know they won't believe you at first, right?"  
Arthur- "Which is why you will be giving them a demonstration…"  
Merlin- "Like what?"  
Arthur- "I dunno… Be creative…"_  
Then Merlin rolled his eyes and set off to sit at the other side of the clearing, sending a short message into Arthur's head.  
"_How about turning you into a toad?"_  
The king simply grinned, and turned to the knights.

"Okay," he began, "I know you're all wondering what I have to say that is important enough to keep you from Merlins stew… But it's important, and actually concerns Merlin anyway. Now, before I say anything else, know this, What I am about to tell you is still unknown to anyone but Me, Gaius and Merlin, and I want it to stay that way until I get around to telling everyone else. Is that understood?"  
The men all nodded, some looking slightly confused as their eyes flickered over to Merlin, who was twiddling with his neckerchief… an obvious sign, to those who knew him, that he was nervous.  
Before they could say anything however, Arthur spoke up again.  
"Okay, so, now that we've cleared that up, I also want to say that some of you will likely consider me crazy at first, believe me I almost did myself, but I need to have your word that you will hear me and Merlin out, and that what I am about to say will not reach the ears of anyone else until I have said so."  
The men nodded again, all now looking interested, if not completely confused by Arthur's uncharacteristic seriousness.  
Sure that he now had his men's attention, and that they would not spread this news around, Arthur glanced to Merlin, who rolled his eyes and called over.  
"Oh, just tell them and get it over with, already."  
Arthur nodded, and turned to the men, deciding to just be blunt.  
"Right then. Straight to the point, Merlin has magic and is one of the most powerful sorcerers in the five kingdoms."  
It was silent for a few moments, as everyone realised that Arthur was being completely serious, and their eyes all flickered over to Merlin, who was whistling softly, shrugging to Arthur in an _'I told you so'_ way.  
The silence was broken by the sound of a gleeful laugh, and they all turned to Gwaine, who was grinning widely.  
Even Merlin, who knew his strange moods better than anyone else, was completely non-plussed by the laughter, and raised an eye-brow.  
"Gwaine? Would you like to share…?" Arthur asked, hoping that this would turn out better than he thought it would, and was relieved when the knight rubbed his hands together, gleefully.  
"This is great! Now I can finally meet a unicorn…"  
Leon smacked him round the back of the head, before turning to Merlin, eyebrows raised and suspicion evident.  
"Care to explain Merlin?"  
The raven-haired warlock grinned slightly, shrugging.  
"Born with magic, came to Camelot, saved Camelot more times than I care to remember, saved this royal prats life even more times than that… Oh, and I'm a figure from Druid legends and prophesies that are decades old… Oh yeah, and I'm a Dragonlord."

Leon blinked at the short, succinct speech, and was silent for a few moments.  
Arthur knew that if Leon was okay with Merlin, then the others would follow suit, though it seemed that Percival and Elyan were okay with it anyway. And Gwaine? Well, he was being Gwaine.  
After a couple of minutes, Leon shook his head, a huge grin spreading across his face.  
"You know, now that I think about it, this answers a lot of questions…"  
At that, both Merlin and Arthur visibly relaxed, and the other knights started to smile.  
Of course, Gwaine had to choose that moment to speak up again.  
"Okay then, all powerful sorcerer, show us!"  
Merlin sighed, half amused half exasperated.  
"First of all, it's warlock, not sorcerer. Second of all, I've never really been one for display magic… what with the whole 'magic is banned in Camelot' thing..."  
Gwaine pouted,  
"Please…?"

At his eagerness, and the other knights interest, Merlin sighed and raised a hand, palm up.  
_"Forbearne leanúint mo smaointe "  
A_ flame appeared in his hand, and immediately grew and reshape itself.  
A couple of seconds later and there was a miniature dragon flapping around Merlin's hand, made completely made from fire.  
At his urging, his creation flew towards the knights, circling around their heads, before snorting smoke at Gwaine. He then enlarged it, making it into the image of the crest of Camelot, where it burned for a few seconds before fading away, leaving the clearing in darkness again.  
It was silent for a few minutes before Elyan gave a low whistle.  
"Well… That was… That sure was something Merlin."  
Merlin nodded, smiling, in response to the compliment, and raised a hand again,  
_"Forbearne…"_  
All of the fires that he knights had prepared around the clearing burst into flame, lighting everything up with a warm glow, and Merlin sank back against the trunk of the tree, relief coursing through him. This had gone better than he could have hoped for.  
He turned to Arthur, who was almost as dumbstruck as the knights at the display, and he raised an eyebrow.  
"_Creative_ enough for you Sire?"  
Arthur blinked a couple of times, and nodded.  
"Yep…"

After a couple of hours of telling the knights the basic outline of what he had done since coming to Camelot, they all settled down for the night.  
Merlin decided that he may as well get used to the whole 'using magic in the open' thing, and paced around the clearing, casting wards that would alert them of any danger.  
As Leon and Arthur watched him, the others having fallen asleep, Leon shook his head, amazed.  
"Wow. I never thought I would say this, Sire, But Merlin is even more loyal than we ever gave him credit for. And a hell of a lot braver too."  
"Yeah, I know. He told me the story in much more detail, and I sometimes had to remind myself that it was Merlin. The bumbling, ridiculously loyal idiot that had been traipsing around after me for years."  
"You have to admit though, Sire, that things make a lot more sense now. I mean, we always knew there was something about him… And apparently not all magic is evil…"  
"Yeah. I'm going to have to do something about that."  
Their conversation as cut short as Merlin flopped down next to them, trying and failing to stifle a yawn.  
"Wards up. Won't do much against attacks, but will give us enough of a warning to prepare."  
Leon snorted lightly.  
"You know, this would have made our lives a whole lot easier over the last few years…"  
Merlin grinned, rolling his eyes.  
"Tell me about it… No matter what I say about Arthur being blind, you guys really made things difficult for me…"  
"Err…. Sorry?"  
Merlin grinned at the sheepish tone in Leon's voice, then yawned again, and shuffled away.  
"Ah well, what's done is done. Why bother dwelling on the past…? Now, if you feel the need to wake me, please don't act on it."  
With that, he rolled over and went silent.  
For a few seconds, neither man said anything, then they both lapsed into quiet laughter at how Merlin could say something wise one moment, then ridiculous the next. Apparently, their laughter was not quiet enough, as a clump of dirt smacked into Arthur's head.  
"Merlin…?"  
"Not me. Gwaine did it…" Merlin's voice was muffled, "Thought he could get away with it by framing me… Drunken ass…"  
Gwaine gave an indignant snort from where he was, apparently, sleeping, and Arthur couldn't help grinning as he swept the dirt from his hair.  
Some thing's were never going to change…

* * *

**Okay, so one more chapter to go I think.**  
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**Whatever it is, let me know!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Even more faves and follows? *whoops and does a litte jig... which I will never repeat. Ever.***  
**And Im really grateful for the thumbs up, as well :D Glad you are enjoying it so much guys! Okay, so this is the final chapter, and is the whumpy bamf you've all been waiting for... **  
**Enjoy!**

* * *

When morning came, the knights had only just got to their feet when all of their things all packed themselves away. In a matter of seconds, everything was in the saddlebags, and hunks of bread were hovering in front of them.  
Leon blinked, finally fully waking, and shook his head. Then he grinned, taking the food hovering in front of him. The others were all doing the same, though he noticed Tristan was staring over to the horses with an ill-disguised hatred.  
Following his line of sight, Leon saw Merlin, softly patting down the horses, and frowned. He was going to have to keep an eye on Tristan.  
Then he grinned, catching sight of the mischievous twinkle in Gwaine's eye as he crept, silently, up to Merlin, a bowl full of water in his hand. He was about to say something when he caught sight of Arthur, gesturing for him to stop.  
Leon stood back, realising from the grin on Arthur's face that this was going to be worth watching.  
Just before Gwaine reached Merlin, the sorcerers hand seemed to twitch a little, and Gwaine gave a sharp yelp as he slipped in a puddle of mud that had_ definitely _not been there before.  
As he fell, the water exploded over his head, drenching him, and he was hoisted upside down by a vine that appeared from no-where.  
The whole clearing was silent for a few moments as Gwaine dangled, upside down, until Leon felt a burst of laughter coming out.  
He heard Arthur laugh at the same time, and the others joined in not a second later.  
Gwaine, red-faced, was glaring at them, but the effect was ruined by the fact that he was currently upside down.  
"Oi! Stop laughing and get me the hell down from here!"  
Leon grinned as he saw everyone look to Merlin, lounging against his mare and grinning at the sight of his friend dangling from a tree, then shared looks between them and take a small step back.  
"Sorry mate," Elyan said, grinning. "I'm not getting in the way of that…"  
"Oh, you… Damn it… Merlin! Let me down!"

Merlin raised an eyebrow, rolling his eyes, and, grinning, called back.  
"Let you down? What, from that height? Well… If you're sure…"  
"Oi! Merlin you know damn well what I mean!"  
"I know that. I'm just waiting…"  
"For what!?"  
"You were about to throw water on my head!"  
"Yeah but…"  
At that, Arthur spoke up,  
"Just say sorry, Gwaine… Then we can leave…"  
"We could just leave anyway?" Leon said, innocently voicing a thought that was in no way connected to the fact that he was very amused by the scowl Gwaine gave when he was stuck in a tree.  
"Oi! You shanky-haired git!" He swayed for a few more seconds, before cursing. "Fine! I'm sorry already! Now will you just let me down?"  
Merlin, grinning, nodded,  
"Of course." His eyes flashed and Gwaine was lowered to the ground. Apparently, however, Merlin hadn't fully forgiven him, and he landed, face first, in the puddle he had slipped on. Merlin simply grinned at the huge glare directed at him, and clambered onto his horse.  
"See Gwaine? Was that so hard?"

Ten minutes later, and they were well on their way.  
Arthur was hopeful that they would reach the village before noon, and was content to sit back, letting the knights pester Merlin with more questions. When he heard Percival speak up, about half an hour later, however, his interest was piqued.  
"So, hang on. You've protected Camelot and done all of that magic… But according to some people I met in Annis's kingdom a few years before I met Lance, the power to do something like that… I've heard the legends of Emrys, but just how powerful are you exactly?"  
Arthur turned to see Merlin, looking faintly embarrassed and seemingly at a loss for words… Eventually he spoke.  
"Okay… According to the druids, I'm destined to become the most powerful sorcerer that the land had ever seen. As it is, I'm not quite at that point yet… I'm still pretty powerful though. Tricks like what I did with Gwaine this morning-"  
"Tricks?" Percival blinked. "That would have left most sorcerers weakened by some extent. Many completely spent… You seemed fine."  
"Yeah… Something like that, moving objects and stuff, it's no drain at all. Well, it would be if I was injured, but on a normal day it's no trouble." He paused for a moment before sighing.  
"As for how powerful I am? I honestly have no real idea. I mean, even with everything I've done, even with injuries, I've pulled through it so… I have about as much of an idea as you do. My magic is mainly elemental, so spells aren't as important to me as they are for other people… I can often do things just by thinking it…"

They were all silent for some time after that, and Leon felt himself thinking of everything Merlin had done, his obvious ease with teasing Gwaine that morning, and Percival's words,  
_'That would have left most sorcerers drained to some extent. Many completely drained…'_  
Leon thought about all of that, and glanced at the raven-haired man who seemed as deep in thought as the rest of them, and he felt a sense of relief.  
They were lucky to have Merlin on their side in this war… He dreaded to think of what Camelot would have been like if he wasn't.  
Most likely decimated with Morgana on the throne…  
Merlin's eyes flickered up, quickly, and locked onto Leon's, apparently aware that the knight had been watching him.  
"What?" he asked, raising an eyebrow, and Leon shrugged.  
"I ever told you I'm glad we're not enemies?"  
Merlin's eyes widened, and he grinned,  
"Nope… I-" he cut off and froze, eyes scanning the forest.  
In a flash, he was down off of his horse, hand pressed against the ground, eyes gold.  
The rest of them were quick to follow, drawing their swords, and stood around Merlin.  
A few seconds, later, his eyes faded to their normal blue and he stood up, face grim.  
"We've got trouble…"  
"Sorcerers?" Arthur asked, and Merlin shook his head.  
"No… But it's too much of a coincidence that they are attacking now…"  
"Who?"  
Suddenly, the path swarmed with bandits al armed and all heading straight for them.  
"Them." Merlin finished, but the men were on them before Arthur could make a quip about how astoundingly obvious he was being.

Arthur brought his sword up in time to deflect a blow, and stabbed his would be killer in the gut, ignoring the thud as the body hit the floor, he was already focused on the next man, but before he could do more than raise his sword, he froze.  
As Arthur looked around, he saw that all of the other bandits had frozen as well, and the other knights looked as bemused as he was until Gwaine gave an awed gasp and they all turned to see Merlin, hand out in front of him, fingers splayed.  
His eyes were a bright gold, and he looked pissed off.  
"You know what? I have had it. Sorcerers, and they sent bandits to do their work for them. Seriously. That's just… Just insulting. Now I'm going to have to lecture them on the correct way to deal with a threat. Which is not to pass it on to someone else. And you idiots listened? Gods, are you all stupid? When has working for sorcerers ever worked for you people?"  
He glared at several individual bandits before shaking his head, obviously annoyed, and clenched his open hand into a fist.

Arthur blinked as all of the men simultaneously fell to the ground, unmoving. He turned to Merlin, who was still glaring at the, now prone, figures.  
"Merlin…? What-?"  
"They're not dead. Just unconscious. They'll wake up with a raging headache and a morbid fear of blood. Should put them off of their current line of work…"  
"…Okay then."  
The young man crouched down net to one of the men and held a hand over his face, muttering a string of words. With a gasp, the bandit sat up, scrabbling away from Merlin… Straight into Gwaine, who grabbed him, hoisted him up and pinned him into a tree.  
Merlin waked over, and Gwaine shifted so that the men were face to face.  
Merlin jabbed at him,  
"You. Who are you working for?"  
The man blinked a couple of times, then seemed to sag.  
"Who the hell are you…?"  
"The one who is going to give you over to these others-" he gestured to the knights and Arthur, who all grinned, intimidatingly, "If you don't answer my questions. Who are you working for?"  
The man visibly sagged and he hastily responded,  
"I don't have any names… It's a group of sorcerers… eight of them, and powerful. They wanted us to keep an eye out for any Camelot patrols and ensure they didn't make it to the village…"  
"What are they doing?"  
"S-setting an ambush for Arthur Pendragon... They know he'll come to the village's aid."  
"The villagers?"  
"Trapped in their homes… Some were killed when they first got to the village… seventeen in all. Men, women and two children…"  
"How long will it be before they realise you failed?"  
Arthur was furious, but held it in check. As did the others, and, to their surprise, Merlin. Who was obviously as angry, if not more so, than the rest of them.  
The man was obviously terrified as he replied, and Arthur realised that he had really got to start paying more attention to his manservant.  
"We- we were m-meant to report in regularly… Its th-three hours till the n-next appointed time… "  
"Okay. Final question. Have you lied to me _at-all _when answering these questions?"  
"N-no! No I-"  
"Good."  
Merlin didn't do or say anything, but the man fell limp, and Gwaine dropped him to the floor, rubbing his hands in obvious disgust.  
"Bastards…" he cursed.  
_

Two hours later, and they were all staked out on the top of a ridge, looking into the village.  
They had left the bandits in the clearing and rode out, reaching the village within the hour, and had immediately started coming up with a plan.  
Everyone but Gwaine and Arthur had given Merlin a wide berth.  
Elyan, Percival and Leon because they knew what he could be like when he was angry… even if they had only seen him that way once or twice. It wasn't pretty and wasn't something they liked to see.  
The others were obviously cautious of him being a majorly pissed off and incredibly powerful sorcerer, and were also well acquainted with what an angry Merlin could be like.  
Tristan just looked lie everything he had feared was reality, and none of the others could stand to talk to him after he had given a tirade about Arthur and the rest of them obviously being blind to Merlin enchanting them.  
Merlin had just looked at him, and he had shut up. No magic, no threats, nothing said, they just shared a look.  
Arthur had never seen a man shut up quite so fast.  
Him and Gwaine however, were too stubborn to let the idiot wallow in anger, and even knowing what a pissed off Merlin was like, got him actively talking plans again.

After ten minutes, they still had no clear course of action, Merlin having given up a few minutes previously and now sitting, eyebrow raised, as they all squabbled over the best course of action.  
That's when they heard the scream.  
They immediately rolled to the ledge, where they could see the village. The sight that met them froze them in their place.  
A young girl, no older than sixteen, was being tied to a pyre, as her families screams echoed through the air.  
Then they heard the voice.  
"Now do you see?" one of the sorcerers said, and Arthur cringed. The madness beneath the words was obvious. "Our kind have been persecuted for far too long… Now you will know how it feels to have everything you hold dear torn away from you!"  
He held up a torch, the end bursting into flame, and began to advance towards the pyre, seemingly oblivious to the commotion around him.  
Arthur jumped to his feet.  
"We have to do something!"  
"Sire," this was Leon, "We need a plan. We need-"  
"A Merlin." Gwaine's voice cut them both short, and they span, to see that Merlin was no longer where he had been. Gwaine spoke up again.  
"I have a plan… We head down to the village, watching as Merlin defeats the bad guys, and get down there in time to congratulate him and head home."  
They were all silent for a few minutes before simultaneously bursting from the ridge and running towards the village.

Merlin appeared in the village just as the sorcerer threw the flame into the pyre. Merlin immediately tried to quench the flames, but discovered that they were magical in origin. He didn't have time to find the right spell to use to disenchant them, and latched his mind onto the others, sending a message.  
_"Flames are enchanted. I'll get the girl. Get your asses down here and deal with the villagers!"  
_He heard a shocked acknowledgement, but was already running.  
With a blast, he had the, still unsuspecting sorcerers thrown back, and jumped up into the flames.  
The girl was coughing, eyes streaming with tears and full of fear.  
He muttered a spell, causing the ropes to snap, and gathered her up.  
"You're okay… You're safe now…"  
She nodded, obviously terrified, but seeming to trust him.  
He jumped down from the platform, the girl still in her arms and ran to her family, snapping their bonds with a thought and handing the girl to them.  
Not stopping to look at the terrified, and shocked gazes thrown at him, he ran to the square again, looking for the sorcerers.  
Of course, that was when the others decided to arrive.  
"Merlin!" That was Arthur, looking majorly pissed. "You idiot! You could have been kill-"  
Before he could finish, seven sorcerers surrounded them, four blasting at the knights and three at Arthur.  
Merlin reacted instinctively. He threw a shield around the others, deflecting the attack but was too slow to do the same for himself, and felt himself blown backwards, then he hit his head, saw everything falling and everything went dark.

"Merlin!" Arthur's voice rang in time with several others, as they saw their friend thrown into one of the nearby houses, which promptly collapsed on top of him.  
Arthur cursed.  
The selfless_ idiot_! Did he _never_ think of protecting-  
"Arthur Pendragon! What a pleasant surprise…" Arthur turned to look at the sorcerer who was speaking, the same one who had set fire to the, now flaming, pyre. "And with your knights! What a fine bonus… Morgana will reward me greatly for this…"  
He grinned, mockingly, as the knights all raised their swords.  
"Now, now. What do you think a stick will do against our combined power? You fools… And It seems that your only real weapon is now gone…"  
Arthur froze. Merlin… He couldn't be…  
"He's not dead…" Gwaine growled net to him, but the sorcerer seemed amused,  
"Really? The spell we hit him with is powerful enough to destroy even Morgana, had she not wards to prevent it! He had no ward or shield… He is dead! I doubt even the fabled Emrys could survive such an attack!"  
Suddenly, Bedivere gave a small grin, and spoke up.  
"Well, why don't you ask him yourself?"  
Arthur span, followed less than a second later by the others, and sighed in relief at the sight of the scorched, scratched, scruffy, bruised, ragged, gangly, raven-haired, completely pissed off warlock.

The sorcerer span, along with his comrades, and gasped.  
"Impossible…" he muttered, paling. "No-one could…"  
"Emrys could…" Gwaine corrected, now flexing his muscles and seating himself down against the wall of a nearby house. He grinned, obviously looking forward to this.  
"This is gonna be fun…"  
Merlin spoke up, from the top of  
"That. Is. IT!"  
Clouds began to form above them, the skies darkening as thunder rumbled. Winds picked up speed and Merlins hair and clothes whipped around him as he deftly leapt down from the stack of rubble he had been standing on.  
Landing on the ground, he began to stalk towards the group of, now obviously shocked and fearful sorcerers.  
"That is it. I have had it. Had it with the attacks, the ambushes, the deaths, the creatures, the enchantments, the curses, the poisons, the riddles, the destinies, the responsibility!  
I have had it with trying to reason with you people. Trying to help you. You just never LISTEN!"  
A flash of lightening lit up the area, having struck directly behind Merlin, and Arthur raised an eyebrow. His friend definitely had a taste for theatrics...  
Merlin started speaking again, voice as loud as before, but filled with something more than just anger. There was hatred marred with it, disbelief and echoing sorrow.  
"You wonder why people fear us? Hate us? It is because of those like you! Those who think no further than revenge! Whose only basis for magic is a selfish desire! I've been called a traitor for protecting Camelot? It is people like you who have betrayed out kind! Allowed the image of magic to become distorted and warped to one of hatred and evil! You stand there, thinking yourselves just and righteous in your beliefs!"  
The wind seemed to reach a point where its fury could no longer be contained and it seemed to explode, knocking the sorcerers back a good thirty feet.  
As they got to their feet, one sent a bolt of light towards Arthur, who didn't even flinch.  
The blast never came close.  
Arthur did almost flinch, however, at the fury in his friends, now molten gold, eyes.  
The very air around him seemed to radiate power. Golden and blue streaks flashed round him, seeming to dance. When he spoke gain, his voice was lower, but held more fury than Arthur could have thought possible of him.  
"You dare?"  
Several bolts of light came from the sorcerers, flying towards him. He didn't even blink, as the spells dissipated harmlessly around him.  
"You attack innocent people! You murder and injure and inflict pain without care! You attack my friends! And you still have the nerve… To attack _me_?"

The sorcerers cracked, sending spell after spell, curse after curse, ball after ball of light and power at the Warlock, but all he did was stand there, seeming almost amused, yet clearly disgusted by their attempts.  
Nothing hit him. Nothing got near.  
Two of the sorcerers collapsed from the effect of using too much magic.  
Three vanished, obviously fleeing.  
Two were able to do nothing more than stay on their feet.  
One, however, the one who had seemed the very centre of this, kept going. His attacks becoming increasingly more desperate and violent.  
Eventually, however, he seemed to get the idea and stopped, facing Merlin, eyes glowing with a hatred, fury and madness. They were all obvious when he spoke.  
"Why?! Why choose to protect a Pendragon over your own kind?!"  
Merlin simply stared, his anger still evident, but almost matched with a pitying revulsion.  
The question needed to answer.  
When he received no reply, the sorcerer screamed, blasting everything he had at Merlin.  
Merlin raised his hand, flicking his fingers, and everything stopped. For a millisecond, everything was still, then the whole world exploded.

Or, at least, it seemed that way to Arthur.  
One moment, everything was still, then he could barely concentrate on something long enough for an image to stick.  
He saw Merlin, his eyes a brighter gold than he had ever seen before, stood, his right arm raised slightly, in the middle of his own, personal storm.  
He saw him flick his wrist.  
And he saw how the tiny gesture caused everything to devolve into chaos.  
Everything seemed to explode out of him.  
The dirt and the rubble were reduced to dust, and blown away.  
The pyre was utterly decimated and travelled away on the wind, nothing more than ash.  
The spell from the other sorcerer dissolved into a mist, carried away by the wave of sheer power coming from the Warlock.  
The sorcerer, himself, and his two companions, were destroyed.  
There was no other word for it. The wave ripped through them in a flash, and they were gone. No sign of them. It was the same with the two that were either dead or unconscious.  
Wave after wave of blinding blue and gold light washed over him, but, like with the rest of his men and the villagers, it simply passed over him, leaving nothing but a deep warmth and sense of security.  
Then, it was over.  
Merlin stood alone, his eyes back to his usual azure blue, his clothes torn and singed, hair completely windblown and tangled, and a cut down the side of his jaw, which was healed to a thin white line, along with all of his other cuts and bruises.  
He lowered his hand, flexing his fingers, then ran it through his hair, following through and rubbing the back of his neck, as he turned to face the rest of them.  
His expression had lost most of its erstwhile anger, and he was now looking utterly innocent and sheepish.  
"Err… I'm um… I'm sorry you had to see that…"  
Arthur looked at him, then looked at the others as they all turned their heads, then they all turned to look at Merlin again, who was starting to look a little confused.  
"What?"  
Leon turned to Elyan, from where he was leaning against the wall, obviously awed, yet grinning wildly at the knowledge that this war with Morgana was as good as won.  
"Elyan?"  
"Yes?"  
"Remind me never to make him mad…"  
Arthur blinked at the sudden indignant look on Merlin's face, then snorted before bursting into laughter.  
Because, really, when your best friend is the world's most powerful sorcerer, has shown that there is no chance of you losing the war you're fighting against your insane, evil and power-hungry sister and is the only hope for a decent future according to the most revered of prophesies, but also happens to also the most clueless, clumsy, far-too-popular-with-bad-guys -, chirpy, optimistic to the point of depressing, disobedient, quirky, gangly, immature, ridiculous and infuriating idiot in the history of forever, what else was there that you could do?

* * *

**So, yeah. An intended one-shot that evolved into the three chapters. Please review and let me know what you think!  
Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoyed :D  
(And yup, I do have several more random reveal fics that are either requests or just weird explosive bouts of imagination and access to a laptop... Anybody interested in me uploading them? I can guarantee that none(or only one or two) of them are as cliche as his one...****)**

**Ayway, thanks to all readers, favers, followers and reviewers! Glad you enjoyed :D**

**Raven xx**


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